Giving Money Away/tithing benefits?

[C hristian]

So, I'm reading Rich Dad Poor Dad and some other books of his, the 1 minute millionaire, Deepak Chopra....they all have one thing (or more) in common to say. ...if you want money, you have to *first* give some money away. like for instance, tithing, and how important tithing is. and how you have to give it away with a generous heart , (or it won't necessarily come back to you , ten-fold, or whatever) ....


my questions on this are multiple : is this 10 % or whatever you give away on top of the 20 % or whatever you are supposed to pay yourself off the top of your income? is this idea distinctly seperate from "you have to spend money to make money", are you supposed to give it away, strategically, or is just the next soul who walks buy good enough? (i mean, what are the guidelines?) how about if you make $5.00 a day for example? will the $.50 given away count and matter? why is that? does it AWAYS have to be that you give money away FIRST? does tithing have guidlines as it is most commonly practiced by the rich? when they say it will come back to you, do they mean in this lifetime? anybody outhtere with real-life , first-hand scenarios of it working or not working?

you get the idea, I think.

Thanks, C

[julian_kelly]

I tithe and it works wonders. Ive always found that I can do more with 90% then 100%. It hard to conceptualize, but it works. God has definitely blessed me as a result of tithing.

Ive tithed when I had money and when I didnt. Ive tithed when Ive been flat out broke and I've experienced miracles as a result. Often it is EXTREMELY hard to do, but there is no doubt in my mind that the results are amazing. I see tithing as giving, charity, obedience and displaying an amazing measure of faith.

As a Christian I first tithe 10% of my gross income to my local church before I do anything. Second, I give an offering to any other cause I see necesary. Third, I pay myself (long term savings and/or buy more assets.) Fourth, I pay bills. Fifth, I do whatever with what is left. Following these steps has really enriched my life.

There is no doubt in my mind that tithing consistently works.

julian kelly

[C hristian]

wow! that's amazing! so, how does it work, exactly? (as in, how has it ended up working for you? I like how you've listed in order whom you pay.) and, how far do you go in investigation where your money goes before you give it away?

I'm conducting a lot of telephone surveys these days, and I had this one guy who was a millionaire, and the question was which of the following was important to you to protect financially : your this, your that, etc... and one of them was, "your ability to give gifts to charities/causes and friends, and family" . Most of the other things, he kept saying "not important, not important". When we got to giving gifts, however, he said "major importance". I was amazed. It left quite an impression. Trying to imagine a time in life where this is your chief, or one of your chief priorities, and a regular practice. That is a charmed and beautiful way to live, indeed!

[julian_kelly]

I view myself as a steward of whatever God gives me. I have control over my resources, but do not own them. If I really owned my money, I could take it with me when I die. Everything I have belongs to God and I firmly believe that I will be held accountable for what I do with my resources.

I also believe that God has ordered me to give a portion of what he has given me and if I dont it is considered stealing; technically what he gives me isnt even mine...I'm simply a steward. With my resources, I can do good, bad or nothing - which can be as unfruitful as 'doing bad'

Tithing has helped me to undertand faith, longsuffering, charity, hope, discipline, obedience and other traits. I have tithed when I had nothing and thereafter had money given to me that I didnt expect. I have tithed when I had no work or job, and work or a job appeared. When I tithe I feel more excited and like Im making a difference. When I dont tithe, I feel selfish and it seems like its hard for ends to meet financially like I feel they should.

Tithing is also an example of sewing and reaping (sewing seeds.) To make an analogy, the more seeds a farmer plants, the more crop he will have; likewise the more I utilize my resources to help others, the more blessings that will be bestowed upon me -- financial or non-financial. The more you put in, the more you get out.

But on the opposite, what would happen if the farmer planted little or no seeds? He would have little or no crop. Furthermore, one kernel or corn can produce hundreds of corn stocks. A farmer can keep replanting kernels (money) and have increase, but if he hoardes the corn (money), he loses out.

In terms of checking out institutions or causes that I give to, I do investigagte, but sometimes I dont do 'major investigation'; I may just feel the need in my spirit to give, so I act on it. Even if money of mine ended up in wrong hands, I still feel like a blessing will result because I belive 'intent' will be judged.

I am very familiar with the running of my local church. We support members of the congregation in many ways as well as the poor and missionaries in other areas....all of this as a result of tithing. Tithing works -- I know for a fact. And I think people really miss out by not giving due to lack of faith.

Also, the Bible talks about tithing of your time, talent and treasures, so tithing isnt merely limited to money. Tithing is sometimes hard and a test of faith, but it does work.

julian kelly

Originally posted by C hristian:
wow! that's amazing! so, how does it work, exactly? (as in, how has it ended up working for you? I like how you've listed in order whom you pay.) and, how far do you go in investigation where your money goes before you give it away?

I'm conducting a lot of telephone surveys these days, and I had this one guy who was a millionaire, and the question was which of the following was important to you to protect financially : your this, your that, etc... and one of them was, "your ability to give gifts to charities/causes and friends, and family" . Most of the other things, he kept saying "not important, not important". When we got to giving gifts, however, he said "major importance". I was amazed. It left quite an impression. Trying to imagine a time in life where this is your chief, or one of your chief priorities, and a regular practice. That is a charmed and beautiful way to live, indeed!

[mhd]

well said, julian, nothing worse than success combined with selfishness, you gotta give

[kara]

i was under the impression, for christian 'tithing' is generally 10% - and related to giving to the church?

for my family it's 20% ... not sure if that's my family, or some community thing i never realized ... but def. 20% ..

the part you ask about what % and does a little of a little matter, etc ... its worth it if you look at the greater sense, that someone is trying to help all they can, but just makes that little themself. --> the idea of practicing charity - etc. when i started work after college and made a whopping $16,500 / year and had to borrow to pay rent, my mom suggested i select the 'auto pay' thing thru work to give 10% of my salary to a united way cause of my choice, because 'no matter how little i thought i made, i could do with even less, and its how much you should at least be giving' ... it stuck. if you have $5, and give $.50 ... you're giving all you can. that does MORE, means more in some manner than those who easily give away thousands for tax breaks .. IMO.


http://www.justgive.org/html/don_info/howmuch.html
http://www.give.org/tips/index.asp
http://www.networkforgood.org/donate/calculator/
http://www.networkforgood.org/donate/donatetips.aspx
http://www.charitywatch.org/tips.html

you can always give your time too!!!! esp if youre struggling to support your own family .. its a great way to pass on the charity value w/out having the $ itself

this may be the most related to your intent
http://www.newtithing.org/content/gaugepower.html

[ June 16, 2004, 02:15 AM: Message edited by: kara ]

[shante b]

kara beat me too it. reading ur defintion i was thinking about tides at church

[Austin/Dallas]

Originally posted by houseflower:
kara beat me too it. reading ur defintion i was thinking about tides at church

Don't take this wrong houseflower. You don't want tides in church, but tithes is a part of humbling yourself before God. I beleive so it is part of me to obey the rules.

If you pay your bills or club dues don't you consider this hmbling yourself for something you beleive in?

[ June 16, 2004, 09:00 AM: Message edited by: Austin/Dallas ]

[kara]

from a paper i wrote (though mostly quoted passages i referenced) ... (sorry, im really into getting people on the give/love train ... )


Philanthropy is a critical part of a democratic society. It is different than charity, which focuses on elimination the suffering cause by social problems, while philanthropy focuses on the elimination social problems. It supports projects and endeavors from which we all benefit, such as libraries, museums and scientific research; and it also supports efforts that may be too unpopular or controversial to gain the widespread support of the general public or the government.

The purpose of philanthropy is to improve the wellbeing of humankind by preventing and solving social problems. Philanthropy is not the same as charity. Charity focuses on eliminating the suffering caused by social problems, while philanthropy focuses on eliminating social problems. For example, giving food to a person who is suffering from a famine is charity. The food helps the person for a short period of time, but the person will become hungry again in the future. Teaching the person how to grow food is philanthropy because it eliminates the social problem causing the person's hunger.

REASONS TO GIVE!
To make a difference in society
Because others need our help
To express and act on our beliefs
Because we have resources to share
It connects us to the past and the future
It is a moral duty, passed between generations
To give back, to repay a "debt" when we were helped
To support a specific cause in which we share a belief
Because giving makes us feel good
It is a human need to make situations better through our lives
It is a way to memorialize ourselves and/or others; to create a legacy
It allows us to teach by example, or to follow the example of others
To be part of a group we believe in, to continue an enjoyable experience
To keep control at a grassroots level, out of the control of government
Because we have the free will to decide who to give it to
Because government fiscal policy encourages it
To prevent the government from capturing our assets and distributing them

--------

Though many African-American women made great contributions, the following individuals are some of the foremothers who shaped African-American philanthropy:

Madame C.J. Walker (1869-1919): The first African-American female entrepreneur, millionaire and wealthy donor (Hall-Russell and Kasberg, 1997).

Harriet Tubman (1820-1913): An escaped slave who was famous for her work with the Underground Railroad. She risked her life when she returned to the south many times to help other slaves escape to freedom (Ibid).

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): An abolitionist who demanded that African-American women be included with whites when speaking of "women" and in the quest for civil rights. Truth also counseled Abraham Lincoln on race policy (Ibid).

Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955): Educator, activist, and government official. She founded a training institute for African-American girls in Daytona Beach, Florida that later became the four-year college known as Bethune-Cookman College (Ibid).

Oseola McCarty (1908-1999): Donated $150,000 gift to the University of Southern Mississippi to help needy students. McCarty donated this money from her savings as a washerwoman. She was the recipient of the Wallenberg Humanitarian Award and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Harvard University (McCarty, 1996).

Rosa Parks (1913- ): Known as the "mother" of the Civil Rights Movement. Parks sparked a Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott when she refused to give up her seat to a white man. She was also one of the first women to join the Montgomery, Alabama NAACP (Giddings, 1984).

[ June 16, 2004, 09:24 AM: Message edited by: kara ]

[shante b]

didn't take it wrong at all.
thanks, meant tithes.

Originally posted by Austin/Dallas:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by houseflower:
kara beat me too it. reading ur defintion i was thinking about tides at church

Don't take this wrong houseflower. You don't want tides in church, but tithes is a part of humbling yourself before God. I beleive so it is part of me to obey the rules.

If you pay your bills or club dues don't you consider this hmbling yourself for something you beleive in? </font>[/QUOTE]

[shante b]

Originally posted by houseflower:
didn't take it wrong at all.
thanks, meant tithes. yeah i see it as u do but i do know some ppl that see it as if i do this i will get this back, humbling and spiritualness is thrown out the window.


</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Austin/Dallas:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by houseflower:
kara beat me too it. reading ur defintion i was thinking about tides at church

Don't take this wrong houseflower. You don't want tides in church, but tithes is a part of humbling yourself before God. I beleive so it is part of me to obey the rules.

If you pay your bills or club dues don't you consider this hmbling yourself for something you beleive in? </font>[/QUOTE]</font>[/QUOTE]

[kara]

shantese!

[shante b]

LOL working on this excel spreadsheet drats.

didn't take it wrong at all.
thanks, I meant tithes, not tides.
I see tithes as you do but I do know some people that see tithes as: if i do this i will get this back. Being humble and spiritual thrown out the window with the bath water.